Breaking Point
by TheChosenOne3
Summary: What happens when one of our favorite women reaches her breaking point?


Disclaimer: I don't own any of the TLW characters, but I'm sure that you already knew that.  
  
Author's note: I just want to thank Pam for being such a great new friend. I really enjoy our little chats.  
  
Breaking Point by: TheChosenOne  
  
It had been a long last couple of days, for everyone. It was the rainy season on the plateau and rain meant that the explorers spent more "quality" time in the treehouse. The treehouse felt small and crowded when the five independent people were coming and going in all different directions. It always seemed that they rarely spent a day together in the treehouse with two or more of its inhabitants always deciding to go out on some excursion or other. But now their cozy little home was suffocating the adventurers. They were always running from one end of the plateau to the other, but the storm trapped them all inside. This particular storm had lasted for three long relentless weeks.  
  
"I don't remember one storm lasting so long." Veronica commented to Challenger. They were alone in his lab trying to figure out when they could escape their prison.  
  
"I don't think this is one storm. I think that this has actually been a series of storms so close together that we can't tell where one ends and another begins. This is extraordinary. I have never seen anything like this. I have heard that these conditions exist close to the equator, but I have never had the chance to observe it." The awe in Challenger's voice told Veronica that it was time to leave the professor to his work. She quietly left the lab, although she could have run out screaming like a banshee and he probably wouldn't have noticed. She joined the others up in the second level of the treehouse.  
  
Malone was in the kitchen cooking dinner. She watched him for a minute. She loved that man, more than she knew. But their relationship at that point was frustrating her to no end. She knew that Malone cared for her too, but he seemed content to keep it to himself and try to hide it from everyone, including her. Her frustration caused her temper to be easier to evoke than usual. In fact, it was almost as if she and Marguerite had switched bodies. This thought got her to look over at the heiress who was setting the table with the fearless hunter standing behind her distracting her, not that Marguerite minded.  
  
Veronica stood there and watched the couple laugh and flirt with each other. At the beginning of their internment Marguerite had been as surly as ever. But sometime in the second week of this amazing meteorological phenomenon Roxton's patience was stretched passed its breaking point and he confronted Marguerite. There was yelling and screaming, then a few tears, and finally they each professed their love for the other. Since then Roxton was happier than he had been since Summerlee's disappearance and Marguerite was suddenly inspired to do more than her fair share of the household chores.  
  
Veronica watched her friends with envy. 'That should be Ned and me.' She did not, however, begrudge Marguerite and Roxton their happiness. After all that they had been through, denying their feelings to themselves and everyone else, she knew that they certainly deserved to find one another. She watched them dance around each other for three years. Though they both teased and provoked the other, Veronica always knew that they would end up together. Roxton and Marguerite fought their feelings from the moment they met; they tried to hide it from everyone else. But they could not keep their love and passion for each other out of their eyes, the eyes are the one place that nothing can hide or be hidden. Eventually they both surrendered to the inevitable, and they have never been so happy.  
  
Watching their relationship suddenly blossom and prosper in the last week or so caused Veronica's frustration to skip a notch or two. The only person she would not snap at was Challenger, who pretty much kept himself in his lab. He was utterly fascinated with the storm that seemed to have come out of nowhere and had no end in sight. He was so enraptured that he hardly noticed when Veronica hid out in his lab after she had gotten in a fight with one of the other members of the treehouse.  
  
On some level, Veronica knew that the others didn't deserve her short temper and quick tongue, but she couldn't help it. To make matters worse, Ned was acting like he didn't even notice Veronica was so upset. He wasn't so oblivious that he couldn't tell that she was bristling with animosity and most of it was directed towards him, could he? Well whether or not Ned realized it, he was what was driving her insane.  
  
She decided to leave Marguerite and Roxton to their games and went into the kitchen to help Ned.  
  
"What are you cooking Malone? It smells good." She asked as she stood beside him.  
  
"Raptor stew. I thought that a nice hot stew would be good while it's pouring outside. We're also going to have some nice hot bread." He answered and smiled at his blonde companion. She smiled back. "It's been done for a while. We can eat as soon as Marguerite finishes setting the table, which she has been doing for almost twenty minutes." He said that last statement loud enough for the raven haired heiress to hear him.  
  
"I'm done Malone. I would have been done along time ago if his lordship had not been hovering about." She exclaimed in mock indignation. She looked back at the hunter who was still lingering behind her. He gave her his best boyish grin, took one step so that he was right behind her, wrapped his arms around her slim waist, and put his chin on her shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, like you mind?" Malone said and began dishing the stew. He handed a bowl to Marguerite who just rolled her eyes, but could not hide her amusement. He then handed one to Roxton who followed Marguerite to the table. He gave one to Veronica and gave her his most charming smile. Then he brought his and Challenger's bowls to the table.  
  
"Challenger, dinner!" Roxton called from the table. With a few grunts and strange mumbling, Challenger appeared at the table.  
  
The dinnertime conversation was limited to the men. Ever since Marguerite and Roxton had finally declared their feelings for each other, most of the tension in the treehouse dissipated, and the men were oblivious to the tension that seemed to generate from Veronica alone. Marguerite on the other hand knew exactly what was bothering her younger friend. She had tried to bring it up with her earlier that day, but Veronica blew up at her and retreated to Challenger's lab. Ever since then Marguerite was upset with Veronica, but restrained herself from giving Veronica a piece of her mind. She knew that Veronica was just lashing out in an attempt to alleviate her frustration and possibly tip Malone off, but that was a lost cause. That man was dense when it came to relationships, especially his own.  
  
So Marguerite stayed silent and observed Veronica. She noticed that whenever Roxton or Challenger asked her a question or her opinion she put on a smile and answered them as cheerily as she could, but when Malone tried to engage her in conversation she answered his inqueries curtly and did not look up from her food. Malone did not seem to notice though, nor did Challenger or Roxton. All through dinner it amazed her at how ignorant the men were at how peeved Veronica was.  
  
When dinner was done Marguerite offered to do the dishes and Roxton immediately volunteered to help.  
  
"Roxton, have you noticed how.uh.quick tempered Veronica has been lately?" Marguerite ventured after she was sure that no one else was in earshot.  
  
"We have all been stuck here Marguerite. We are all a little restless. Combine that with the fact that the five of us have not left each other's company for three weeks, we are all bound to be testy. She'll be fine once the storm lets up and we can go hunting. We are running low on meat anyway." Roxton said as he dried the dishes Marguerite handed him.  
  
"I think that Veronica is more than just stir-crazy. Oh never mind. We'll see what happens when the sky clears up, hopefully so will Veronica's mood." Marguerite and Roxton finished washing the dishes and joined Malone and Veronica in the common room. Challenger had retired back to his lab. Malone was setting up the chess board and challenged Roxton to a match. Veronica sat at her easel, but could not find any inspiration, so she sat in a chair and alternated between watching the chess match and reading a book. Marguerite followed Veronica's lead and just watched the chess match.  
  
While watching the battle, Marguerite amused herself by silently pointing out all of the mistakes both men made. She would glance over at Veronica every so often and found the young woman staring intently at Malone before going back to pretending to read her book. Marguerite would have found this whole scenario cute, had she not been watching it everyday for the past three weeks. Granted half of that time her mind was sort of trying to figure out new ways to avoid Roxton, but now it was driving her insane. Malone was absolutely clueless and Veronica didn't seem to have any inclination to clue him in. If things didn't change soon, Marguerite was going to lock them both in a closet until they had sorted things out.  
  
Marguerite knew action had to be taken, lest she and Veronica come to blows over it. Combine Veronica's new temper with Marguerite's old one and an explosion was inevitable. Marguerite had enough fighting and arguing for one detainment. She was happy with how things were going; she didn't want to ruin the atmosphere that had settled over the entire treehouse. She decided that the best way to approach the situation would be to wait until Veronica isn't in so volatile a mood, and try to talk to the poor girl. After all, if her sister had a problem then Marguerite had a problem.  
  
The night proceeded quietly. Challenger only ran through the room once. Roxton beat Malone, then they played again and Malone actually beat Roxton. Marguerite was bored watching so she challenged the winner of the third game. Malone decided that he didn't want to compete against Marguerite, so he just let Roxton have a go at it. He retired to his room bidding his companions 'good night.' Not much later Veronica retired also, simply waving to the two combatants.  
  
"Check mate. I win again John." Marguerite said smugly and knocked over his king. Roxton sat there and studied the board. He looked up at his lady love and muttered, "Very clever my dear." Marguerite smiled.  
  
"I'm tired and I think I'll go to bed now." Marguerite walked up to her handsome hunter and gave him quick goodnight kiss. This was just unacceptable. Roxton took hold of her wrist as she walked away, pulled her to his chest, and kissed the breath right out of her chest. When they both needed oxygen, Marguerite numbly walked away. Roxton smiled after her and then went to his own room.  
  
After she was sure Roxton was soundly asleep Marguerite slipped into the kitchen and put some water to boil. She then followed the routine she had begun a few weeks after that horrible day on the bridge. First she went down to the lab, to check on Challenger. Tonight she found him sitting in a chair trying desperately to stay awake and finish his notes.  
  
"Okay Challenger, it's time for you to get to bed." She took his pencil and notebook, laid them on the table, and guided Challenger to his bedroom. He was mumblings his protest the whole way, but she continued to take him to bed. Once there, she went back to make sure that all of the experiments were not in a volatile state.  
  
Marguerite then continued making her rounds of the treehouse. She checked on Malone and saw that he was sleeping peacefully. 'Dreaming of Veronica no doubt.' She mused to herself. The poor boy was in love and had no idea how to go about it. Marguerite knew that he had never felt this strongly about anyone, including Gladys. Shaking her head, she foraged on.  
  
Her next stop was Roxton's room. He was sleeping with his back facing the doorway. She watched him sleep. She couldn't keep her contented smile from creeping up on her face. She loved watching him sleep. He looked like such an innocent child, not like a man who was as haunted by his past as Marguerite herself was. After making sure that Roxton was not going to have another of his nightmares. Marguerite continued her patrol.  
  
Last but not least she checked in on Veronica, whose room was right next to hers. Marguerite enjoyed seeing her friend's defenses down, which she rarely saw in the waking hours lately. But she could not find Veronica. She was not in her room.  
  
Marguerite searched the living room and kitchen, with no sign of Veronica. She then went to the balcony and saw the young woman sitting there staring out across the plateau, her home. Knowing she was physically all right, Marguerite retreated to get some reinforcements. The jungle-born blond did not even notice the slim brunette was there in the first place.  
  
In a few minutes Marguerite returned to the balcony with two cups of tea and a blanket.  
  
"It stopped raining, finally." She said quietly so as not to startle the woman who was obviously deep in thought.  
  
"Marguerite, what are you doing up? I thought you were in bed." Veronica was startled, despite Marguerite's efforts.  
  
"I only pretended to go to bed so Roxton wouldn't feel obliged to keep me company. To tell you the truth I am up this late every night. I make some tea and then go around the treehouse and make sure everyone is safe and sound. You tell anyone of my nighttime habits and I will deny it." Marguerite explained while throwing in a casual threat.  
  
"Oh. Well the rain hasn't stopped. It's a brief period between the last storm and an oncoming one. I wish the storms would just stop and let us out of here." Veronica changed the subject so as not to let Marguerite see the surprise on her face at hearing of her friend's nocturnal activities.  
  
"Why are you so eager to leave? You usually like the break from the plateau that these storms offer. I'm always the one who can't wait to get out of here. What has been bugging you lately?" Marguerite did not try and cover up the concern that her voice was laced with.  
  
"Marguerite you know very well what's wrong with me. I just don't know what to do because I don't know what I want. I'm so confused." Veronica let it all spill out in one breath. It felt good to talk about it instead of lashing out. But Marguerite was the last person she expected to be unburdening herself to. 'Will this woman ever cease to surprise us?' She questioned herself.  
  
"Yes Veronica I do know what is agitating you. You love Neddy-boy in there and you are scared to death to tell him. You are afraid that if, for whatever reason, things don't work out you will lose your best friend. But Veronica love is a risk, trust me, I know that very well." Marguerite handed Veronica a cup of tea and sat down next to her. She then spread the blanket across both of their laps. Veronica seemed to think about what Marguerite had said for a second.  
  
"Marguerite I don't know if it's worth the risk. I mean how do I know he loves me. I know he cares about me, but what if he just thinks of me as a sister or something?"  
  
"Veronica I have watched you and Malone interact with each other for the past three years. He does not think of you as a sister. Think about it. Does he treat you like Roxton does? No, Malone loves you. He is just as scared as you are, that is why he hasn't done anything. I know this scary, but what you and Malone have, a true pure love, is always worth the risk. If it's not meant to be then it won't be, but you can't doom your relationship to failure before you even have a relationship."  
  
"Marguerite, how did you get over your insecurities with Roxton? I know that a relationship of any type used to be one of your greatest fears. How did you get over that?"  
  
"Well Veronica, Summerlee was the first one that helped me overcome that fear. He looked after me out here and no matter what I did to you all he would not let you guys throw me out. He was the first person to see me and not my body, my money, or my talents. Then, after Summerlee disappeared, Challenger took on a very paternal role for both of us. Malone has become a very pesky little brother. And you Veronica, you are my sister and my best friend. Because of you, I know I'm not the only person in the world to have to grow up to rely on myself and only myself. Then there's John of course. He knew about my insecurities and he helped me see that you people were not going to betray me at the first opportunity you got. He loves me for who I am and doesn't care who I was. So you see, it was a lot of work and most of it was done by faith. You guys putting your faith in me and me putting my faith in you." Tears were forming in Veronica's eyes. She had never realized that things that were like second nature to her were revolutionary ideas to Marguerite, which made this situation all the more fantastic.  
  
"Wow Marguerite, I had no idea how hard this transition really was for you. To tell you the truth it took me a while to even realize that there was more to Marguerite Krux than what she wanted us to see. You know Marguerite, you are the last person I would have guessed I'd be having this conversation with, but thank you. I'm sorry that I have been snapping at you guys these past few weeks." Veronica sheepishly apologized.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Roxton was chalking it up to restlessness and I'm not even sure that Malone and Challenger noticed."  
  
"Oh Malone noticed. That is why he was ignoring the whole situation. Why is it that men have a tendency to go into denial when ever they don't want to handle a situation?"  
  
"I've noticed that the male motto is: When in doubt deny, deny, deny." Marguerite and Veronica both started laughing hysterically.  
  
They stayed up a while longer and talked more about the men who were sleeping peacefully in their rooms. They discussed their different theories on what happened to Summerlee. Marguerite even told Veronica a little about her childhood. Their evening chat was cut short when the next storm began to move in. So they bid each other good night and went to their respective rooms and fell asleep.  
  
The next day the explorers were greeted with more rain. Roxton was up first this morning so he cooked breakfast. Challenger and Malone were the next up, followed closely by Veronica.  
  
"Why Veronica, are you picking up habits from Marguerite?" Roxton joked by way of a greeting.  
  
"Speaking of Marguerite, who wants to be the one to wake her up?" Challenger asked spreading jam onto his toast.  
  
"Let her sleep a little longer. The rain probably kept her up or something." Veronica said as she sat down at the table. The men exchanged looks of great surprise.  
  
"Veronica you seem a bit more chipper this morning. What is the cause of this extraordinary change?" Roxton said if only to break the awkward silence. Just then Marguerite walked into the room and went straight for the coffee pot.  
  
"Oh I had a great brain storm last night." Veronica said with a significant look at Marguerite, who smiled conspiratorially.  
  
"Right." Roxton said catching the exchange between the women and made a note to ask Marguerite later.  
  
The rest of the morning the explorers compared notes on what they were running low on. All of them were incredibly grateful that Roxton had been very successful on his last hunting trip before the storm. Marguerite and Malone were just happy that they still had their coffee.  
  
"Hey the rain stopped." Malone said and went out to the balcony to get some fresh air. The others soon followed. They stood out there and looked out at the blue sky and the jungle down below. Marguerite discreetly nudged Veronica, who just gave Marguerite a 'I'm going, I'm going' look.  
  
"Ned you want to go down for a walk?" Veronica asked. She looked up and saw Ned's expression was not the one of displeasure that she had expected. Instead his eyes lit up, he smiled, and then said, "Sure."  
  
Veronica and Malone grabbed their weapons and went down the elevator. Challenger returned to his lab a little disappointed that he could no longer observe the phenomenon that ravaged the plateau for the past three weeks.  
  
"A walk sounds like a good idea. We could probably catch up to Malone and Veronica." Roxton suggested casually. He knew very well that his Marguerite and Veronica had planned to get Malone and Veronica alone somehow.  
  
"No, just give them a little while. They need to talk." Marguerite stayed on the balcony and watched Ned and Veronica disappear into the jungle.  
  
"So what were you doing visiting my room last night my dear?" Roxton chuckled at the lovely blush that colored Marguerite's cheeks, she knew she was caught.  
  
"Well you see."  
  
The End 


End file.
